JAL "Pink Scarf Flight" 2012

Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign. Image from Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines (JAL) has been supporting the Pink Ribbon Campaign to raise the awareness of breast cancer early detection and treatment since 2004. Every year during the breast cancer awareness month in October, JAL operates something called the "Pink Scarf Flight" domestically to help launch the campaign appeal in Japan and this year is no different.

According to Japanese news site Response and Japanese aviation news site Aviation Wire, this year JAL has designated flight JL309 from Tokyo Haneda to Fukuoka on October 17 as the Pink Scarf Flight. It was operated with a Boeing 777-200 and there were 339 passengers onboard.

Usually JAL cabin attendants have a few different colors of scarf to pick from, but on the Pink Scarf Flight, they as well as the ground and lounge staffs were all wearing pink scarfs (obviously right?). The staffs also wore the pink ribbon badge, the symbol of this global campaign, on this special day. Passengers were handed leaflets on breast cancer early detection and prevention during boarding. Also part of proceeds from the inflight sales of the special campaign items will be donated to Akebonokai - Japan's Breast Canser Support Group.

For pictures of the event, Response has a pretty extensive album and the article on Aviation Wire also contains a few nice pictures as well.

JAL Hellosmile JET. Image from Japan Airlines

This is just one of many social programs JAL participates in. They first initiated this project because most of their cabin attendants and ground staffs are females. Another female targeted social program is the Hellosmile Project which is to raise awareness of cervical cancer prevention. JAL has been the JAL is also the official airline of project since 2010. Currently it is operating a special Hellosmile JET, a Boeing 777-300 with the support mascot, Hello Kitty, painted on the fuselage to major domestic airports in Japan.

You can refer to JAL website for the list of main social programs JAL participates in. And to find out more about the Pink Ribbon campaign, you can refer to the official website of Pink Ribbon.